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Olivia didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself. She wanted her father to still be alive, to still have the reins on the property. She hadn’t seen him in . . .
Tears pricked her eyes and try as she might to blink them away, they slipped down her cheeks in a steady stream.
“Oh, no.” Jade slipped the glass from Olivia’s hand, sat it on the table, and wrapped her arms around her. “Where’s Mel when we need her? She’s better with tears than I am.”
Olivia attempted to laugh at her friend’s accurate statement, but it came out watery. “I’m sorry,” she cried. “I hate this.”
Jade patted her back. “Yeah, well, we need to deal with everything no matter how uncomfortable you are and that’s why we’re here. Talk to Jax tomorrow.”
She didn’t want to talk to him. The childish side of her wanted to avoid him at all costs. But the feminine side of her wanted to see him, wanted to know if that spark would still be sizzling when she looked into those bright blue eyes. Would he touch her? Would he try to kiss her again? Part of her wished like hell he would, but that would only complicate matters further.
Olivia eased back from her friend and swiped at her damp cheeks. “I’ll think about your plan. I can’t talk to him until I have a firm idea of what to say.”
“Actually, I already drew up a spreadsheet.” Jade flashed that megawatt smile that always indicated she was up to something. “I mean, it’s obviously rough because I literally just had the idea a few hours ago, but it’s on my laptop.”
Olivia narrowed her gaze. “I thought you were cleaning out the closet.”
“Well, I was, but then I got a text from one of my coworkers and slid back into work mode. One thing snowballed into another and I got to thinking about the film crew coming in. It was pretty easy for my mind to wander into your problems and mesh them with something fantastic.”
As Olivia listened, she couldn’t help but laugh at the way Jade’s mind worked. Of course she’d want to focus on someone else’s problem. Her own were a nightmare and there was no end in sight. Jade was one strong woman, but being the victim of harassment at work from the CEO was something she couldn’t hide from forever.
Right now, though, Olivia had to deal with her own pressing mess. Thoughts swirled around in her mind, bouncing off one another—or more like fighting one another. Part of her wanted to forget Jade ever mentioned such a plan, but the other part of her knew that Jade was brilliant and the idea definitely had merit. Jade also never would’ve brought it up if she didn’t think it would work.
“I think I’d rather tackle boxes in the attic than deal with making such a decision,” Olivia muttered.
“Then let’s go.” Jade headed toward the back porch, her long red hair swinging halfway down her back. “We’ll run the idea by Melanie once she returns and get her vote.”
Melanie was always their voice of reason, but Olivia already knew what she’d say. There was no way she was going to avoid talking to Jackson, but she knew she’d better have a rock-solid plan before going in. She couldn’t afford to get sidetracked again by his charm . . . or his lips.
* * *
Piles of pictures, papers, childhood school papers . . . there was so much stuff. Clearly, her father hadn’t tossed anything out. Had he held on to all of this because he just didn’t want to go through it or because everything held some sentimental meaning?
The front door slammed and Olivia jerked to glance at Jade.
“If that’s Mel, she’s pissed,” Jade stated, setting her stack of papers aside and coming to her feet. “She doesn’t slam doors.”
Against the protest of her sore backside, Olivia stood and stretched as she headed toward the bedroom door. They’d been working in the room where Jade was sleeping, but so far everything was pretty much garbage. Well, she’d keep the photos in a box, but she didn’t need the papers she’d scribbled on in kindergarten.
“We’re in Jade’s room,” Olivia called.
Melanie stomped up the steps and the second she came into view, Olivia was shocked to see her friend’s hair all in disarray.
“Something wrong?”
Mel rolled her eyes at the obvious question. “I just met this jerk who pulled me over for speeding. How was I supposed to know the limit in this town was twenty-five? That shouldn’t even be a thing.”
Olivia bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. “Well, we do have a lot of people who walk and there’s more tourists now than ever before. How fast were you going?”
“Forty.”
Cringing, Olivia said, “That’s going to be a hefty fine.”
“I also got charged with reckless op.”
“Do you have to go to court?” Jade asked, stepping out into the hall.
“No.” Olivia sighed and raked her hands through her hair, which would explain how it got in its current state. “I’ll just pay the stupid fine.”
